We have these friends. . . and they decided to get married. And we decided to help them celebrate.

So on Thursday, April 28, we packed up ourselves, and we packed up our brothers, and we headed to the airport. . .

Points of interest on the first flight: we drank coke.
Points of interest on the second flight: we drank coke.

But coke aside, I was encouraged and challenged to hear Eric talking to our seatmates about the things that matter in life. Thank You, Father, for a man who shines You. And we also finally finished reading Love & Respect. [If you're married and haven't read it yet, do.]

We got to BWI at quarter after one on Friday morning and spent too much time getting our luggage and a rental and then trying to find cheap parking close to our motel. Three thirty am finally landed us in our motel rooms.

Travis joined our party in the morning, and we headed out on a drive that would last pretty much all day, for Eric and I at least. A couple hours here to drop off Andy, another forty minutes there to drop off Ian and Alex and Travis, and then another hour and a half to meet up with Clark and Dorcas for supper.

It was so good to see them again. Dorcas and I used to live just down the road from each other, and now we live a continent apart. But the man of her dreams lives with her, and the man of mine lives with me, and we are happier now than we ever were when we were neighbors. 🙂

Then it was another forty minute drive to meet up with my friend Beth. We had a good chat over coffee but neglected to take any pictures. 🙁 One more forty-five minute stint on the road finally brought us to Troy and Rocky's, where we spent the night. They were great hosts, serving us ice cream and bars and inviting over another one of Eric's friends and his lady to visit for a while.

The next day was Micah and Carissa's wedding, the real reason why we'd come. And another thing I didn't take any pictures of. 🙁 We were too busy talking to this friend and that one (lots of SMBIers there!) and serving the bridal table. But the wedding was lovely, and the singers sang "Reflect You," a song Andy and I collaborated on. We'd sung it with our youth group but hadn't ever heard it sung by someone else, so that was really special. They did an amazing job!

A big congrats to Micah and Carissa. May the Father continue to guide you. . .

Going to the wedding was the reason for the trip, but we decided to kill two birds with one stone and do a bit of touring in DC as well. So after church on Sunday morning and after picking up Ian and Alex, we headed south with Russell and Shari in tow. (Yes, they were at the wedding, and yes, they came with us to DC!!)

We spent the afternoon walking around looking at monuments, and I'll let the pictures carry the rest of the story. . .

Yes, I kind of like us. 🙂

First Monument: Jefferson Memorial

Second Monument: Lincoln Memorial

Third Monument: World War II Memorial

Fourth Monument: Washington Monument

And then the White House. . . but before we got there. . . hot dogs for supper.

And THEN the White House. . .

Finally, we took our worn-out feet back to the resort (thanks, Dad and Mom, for the amazing place to spend the night), where Jarien and Jaden were waiting for us.

It was a late night of looking at pictures and just hanging out, and then the next morning we went to the Holocaust Museum. But not before taking a few more pics along the way. . .

We didn't take pictures in the museum, and pictures wouldn't do it justice anyway. Just go if you have the chance. The depravity of the human mind is terrible. And while we were walking through memories and stories of horror, I had to think again of the horror being lived in the Middle East right now.

May God have mercy. And may He give strength. And may His light never fail in His people.

And then it was time to catch our flight. . .. . . and we were soon trading these mountains. . .. . . for this one. . . . . . and we were so happy to be home.

Trips are fun, and friends are amazing, but there's nothing like home and family.